Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Has Your Resume Outpaced Your Abilities?

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resume.jpgAt an industry conference, I heard a speaker who has a reputation as someone knowledgeable in his field. He even talked about the high fees he charges for speaking and consulting, such as $15,000 for a speech. But he couldn’t get through a sentence without at least one “um” or “uh,” he went off in new directions without warning,  and generally was hard to follow. Listening to him speak was painful, as I was never sure he would actually make it to the end of a sentence.

I found it hard to believe that he gets the fees he claimed, based on what I heard. He may charge those fees, but I don’t believe he gets them. What I mean by that is that I believe he has a fee schedule that says he gets $15,000 per speech, but he actually works for free, a reduced fee or a percentage of product sales. Having a fee schedule that says he is a $15,000 speaker sounds impressive, but if he does not deliver a $15,000 speech he loses credibility instead of gaining it.

This is an example of someone whose resume has outpaced his abilities. That is, his claims are greater than what he can produce.

There is nothing wrong with setting high expectations and promising great things. However, if you don’t deliver on those promises, you can do serious harm to your reputation and your future. This speaker damaged how I think of him with his poor performance, and I suspect I am not the only one who had that reaction.

Don’t misrepresent yourself, especially if your performance will not live up to your representations or your claims are easily disproved.

Opportunities in Complaints

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angry_customer.jpgWhen you receive a customer complaint, recognize it for the good news it is. I know, you want your customers to be happy. You may even take complaints personally and be upset or offended when a customer expresses dissatisfaction. However, if you recognize complaints as the opportunities they are, you can move your business forward.

Complaints can identify problems in your business. Customers who let you know about them are doing you a favor. It is only when you are aware of a problem that you can identify the cause and fix it. After all, wouldn’t you prefer they tell you about it instead of complaining about your company to all of their friends? That is not the kind of word of mouth you want.

Is the customer always right? No. Sometimes customers are demanding and unreasonable. Fortunately, those people are few and far between. Do what is reasonable to resolve the situations, then move on and don’t worry about losing these customers.

Most customers just want what they were promised. If you made a mistake, or they received a defective product, make it right. Do not underestimate the power of an apology. Simply saying, “I’m sorry this happened. Let me take care of this for you,” can go a long way toward improving your relationship with that customer. Then, repair the situation and learn from the complaint to avoid future problems.

Listen to the customer. Let him define the problem and tell you what he wants. It may be simple to fulfill expectations.

Never criticize a customer or minimize their concerns by saying things such as, “No one else seems to have a problem with this,” or, “Most customers like that feature.”

Perhaps the customer complaint (or a pattern of customer complaints) reveals a problem with the design of a product. Or many customers are receiving items broken in transit. That could mean a problem with the product itself, the packaging, or the delivery service.

Some complaints may be the fault of your marketing. The sales copy may set up unrealistic expectations, or sales staff may make promises that can not be kept, and customers are disappointed with the product or service they receive.

Other complaints may be the result of the customer not understanding what the product or service is supposed to do, or how to use it. Do you include understandable instructions your customer can use, including troubleshooting suggestions for when they encounter a problem?

Offer a solution that makes the customer whole. That might be repairing or replacing a product or re-doing a service. You might even want to give the customer something extra to make up for any inconvenience or loss they experienced as a result of the problem.

If there are obstacles to resolving customer complaints, such as arbitrary rules and policies, get rid of them. Give your staff the authority to resolve most routine problems as they see fit.

If you handle complaints properly, your unhappy customer can become a happy lifetime customer.

Two Things You Should Never Tell Clients

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Potential clients will ask a lot of questions before they hire you. They will want to know about your experience and qualifications, when they can expect the project to be completed and, of course, the price. But there are two pieces of information you should never reveal, no matter how many times they ask, or how many ways they ask.

The first thing you should not let them know is your hourly rate. If you are quoting a price based on a project, then tell them the bottom-line cost. Do not break out pricing based on an amount per hour.

The second thing is related to the first: how much time it will take you to do some or all of the project. The client has every right to know when they can expect the work to be completed; however, they do not need to know how much time you will spend on the project. For example, you may tell them that you will have the finished project to them in four weeks. But they do not need to know that you will spend a total of 35 hours on the project.

The reality is that as a freelancer you may be working on several projects at once. That may mean spending two days this week on one project, one day on another, and parts of the remaining days on multiple projects. That may be because when you reach a certain point in each project you have to wait for something (e.g., client approval, a proof, a quotation from another vendor, etc.) before you can continue, or it may be because you are juggling several projects and trying to keep everyone happy.

So what should you say when the client asks one of these questions? Get them to focus on the results. If you tell them that the thing you are charging $200 for takes you 15 minutes to do, they will think you are overcharging.

They will not consider, and it may be too difficult to make them understand, that it takes you 15 minutes because you have invested in tools and equipment that give you better results in less time, and that your years of training and experience enable you to do a job in 15 minutes that might take another professional hours. They are likely to fixate on the idea that you are charging them $800 an hour, and nothing you say will convince them that you are worth it. On the other hand, if all they know is that this amazing result cost them just $200, they will be satisfied customers.

Keep the customer focused on the value you provide, not how long it takes you or what your hourly rate is. Then provide value that will keep them coming back for more.